Upside Down by Liz Gavin

Genre:
Swingers/Domination

Synopsis:
Carol Anne Sullivan is a tough New York stock broker. She's suffered enough in order to learn a hard lesson - never let love spoil her relationships. Her boyfriends know that rule from the start. She's domineering and assertive but also faithful and fair while the relationship lasts.

Mark Aikens is Carol's boyfriend. He's been in love with her for a while but his submissive side hasn't allowed him to rebel against her golden rule and to tell her how he feels. Fear of losing her forever might spur him into action.

Cindy O'Rourke has admired Carol from afar. So, she jumps at the opportunity to work for her idol. Little does she know, things will never be the same for her after that job interview.

Carol has been going through a rough patch: world economical crisis, dysfunctional parents, demanding clients, faultyequipment. Without much time for herself, her love life is suffering. So what is the big deal if she fantasizes about a new employee when her boyfriend, Mark, can't give her what she needs? The big deal is - the new receptionist, Cindy, is a woman who threatens to turn her world upside down.

This is the steamy tale of an unconventional love triangle which should be read with an open mind and an open heart. Sometimes, love comes to our lives in unexpected ways but with such overwhelming power that the best course of action might be to surrender to it.

My Review:
What a fascinating story showing a calm, collected, successful woman who thinks she has her life all figured out slowly realize it's not as it all seems. Through the course of this story, our heroine goes on a journey of self discovery which includes many aspects of her life be it professional, family, relationship, and sexual. At the end of this adventure, Carol winds up in a completely different, but highly improved place in her life. Liz does an excellent job of delving into Carol's psyche, allowing her readers to appreciate every turn in her journey.

Author Interview:
Can you describe your book in one sentence?
A love triangle like you've never seen before - steamy hot and surprising.

For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?
The unexpected. I'm not saying this is the best book ever written but I took extra care to make it as surprising as possible. As a reader, I often get frustrated when I read something too obvious. So, in my first novel I tried to avoid being too obvious.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
There were many moments but the last chapter made me cry while writing it. Without giving away any spoliers is hard to say `why` it moved me so much. Let's just say that there were so many intense emotions going on it was impossible for me not to get involved with them.

How did you bring life to your characters?
That's a great question. I'm a rookie at writing but I'm a junkie at reading so I never thought I'd be a cliche author when it gets to describing my characters. But I am. (scoffing) I have the impression my characters are real people and they tell me their stories. Many times I have an idea for a scene, get down to write it and it turns out much different from my original idea. Then I realized the characters had taken control of the story. Do you think I need to go back to therapy? LOL Sometimes I do.

Do you have a day job as well?
Unfortunately, I'm not a full-time writer and I have a pretty busy schedule in my regular job. I'm a teacher and a translator so you can imagine how chaotic my life can be.

There are times when I'm free and sit down in front of my laptop to write and draw a blank. Other times, I have a million ideas popping up in my head while driving or teaching or having lunch and can't do anything about it. It's very frustrating.

But as a rule, I have a great time when I'm writing so it makes up for all the other times I get pissed off at other things. LOL I can say writing is an awesome past time for me as it is now but I'm working on making it my sole occupation.

Your thoughts on receiving book reviews - the good and the bad.
It's a thrilling experience. I try to read and answer as many reviews as I can. I honestly think that if a person got the time out of their life to write about my story it means that I've touched them in some way. The least I can do is acknowledge that and reply to it.
The good comments are excellent for an author's ego but the bad reviews, when they are honest and not biased, can help you improve your writing abilities. They have done that to me more than a few times.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Write about your passions. When we write from the heart, the words flow better.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published?
As corny as it may sound, my readers feedback is the most rewarding thing. My friends are fed up with me - they can't hear me saying ""I've got fans"" any longer. (laughing) I, on the other hand, am thrilled to hear from the people on my mailing list and y team of alpha readers. They are the best any writer could ask for because they are hard working and they encourage me with their insightful comments.

What is your favorite part of being an author?
It's hard to pinpoint one aspect. But if I think hard enough I'd say it's the possibility of living so many different lives because while you're writing you get to experience your character's emotions and that can be so fulfilling.

Will you have a new book coming out soon? Can you tell us about it?
yes, I will. I have already published the first two chapters of this book. It's called 'Luck of the Irish' and it's free on Amazon, Smashwords, B&N and Kobo. It's my first romantic novel and it has turned out to be quite a challenge to transition from erotic romance. I'm quite in the middle of writing the book. My group of alpha readers are enthusiastic about it and I really think it's an interesting story. It's got a lot of romance and a dash of suspense and police action, too. I don't have a publishing date for it yet but I'm hoping to be able to finalized it and send it to my beta readers by the end of July. So, stay tuned!

About the Author:
Hello, my dearest readers.

When I was in Second Grade (just a couple of years ago, really), my teacher told my mother I should start a diary because I needed an outlet for my active and vivid imagination. You see, I was a talkative child who would disrupt her class by engaging my colleagues in endless conversations. I loved telling them the stories my grandfather used to tell me.

I guess the teacher wasn't a big fan of my stories. Or maybe she preferred a quieter group of students. Either way, my mother bought me a diary and I happily wrote on it for a month or so. Then, I gave it up. I didn't see the appeal since I was writing for my own enjoyment only. I missed the audience my friends in school provided me. I went back to disturbing my dear teacher's class.

Since then, I've been a hungry reader. I read anything and everything I can get my hands on - from the classics to erotica. And that's how I got the courage to start writing down some of my naughty fantasies. Nowadays, I'm a writer. I write erotic romances and some erotica, too.

Living in New Orleans improves my creativity tenfold. It's such a vibrant, gorgeous and wonderful city but NOLA also has a darker, wickeder side that has always captured my imagination.

So, welcome to my world of steamy, sexy Alpha males and naughty, independent women. Add a touch of the paranormal in the presence of some wicked souls and you'll get the picture.

Sit back, fire up your eReader and enjoy the ride!

XOXO
Liz Gavin

Find Upside Down and Liz Gavin Online:

Amazon ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook ♥ Blog ♥ Goodreads